SANTA CLARA — After a rollercoaster start to his NFL career, Ji’Ayir Brown had a standout, two-interception performance in the 49ers’ 20-9 win over the Carolina Panthers. 

Coach Kyle Shanahan was very happy with the Penn State product’s performance. 

“He was awesome,” Shanahan said after the game. “We’ll see more on the tape, but it felt like it was his best game as a Niner. Think he’s been playing at a high level here for a while, but those two picks were huge and looked like he made a number of good tackles too.”

Brown, who had a quick start to his NFL career under then-defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, had a tougher time in his second year when Nick Sorensen took over the job for the 2024 season. Now, with Robert Saleh at the helm, Brown seems to have found his place in the 49ers’ defense. 

“God is great, God is great,” Brown said “I’ve always prided myself in being a ball hawk and it’s just been slow. Keep getting at it. Keep going. Keep taking it game by game, waiting on your opportunity. And tonight, I was able to capitalize.”

Brown was known for his ability to create turnovers while in college, racking up 10 total interceptions in his final two seasons as a Nittany Lion. However, since being drafted by the 49ers in 2023, the safety has registered only three. 

Now, after the 49ers’ “Monday Night Football” win, Brown already has tied his season high of two interceptions, which he managed as a rookie. 

Tight end George Kittle has taken notice of Brown’s journey and respects the defensive back’s dedication to wanting to improve his play on the field. 

“The thing I love about Tig is he works really hard every single day and I respect the hell out of him for that,” Kittle said. “We all have had down days. He’s had days where fans aren’t really happy with him and then he just shows up every single day and works really, really hard.

“If he doesn’t have those two interceptions then hey, that’s a touchdown or it’s a completion somewhere else and it’s a completely different game.”

Brown and the defense played a huge role in the team’s win, keeping the 49ers solidly in the playoff picture. But after all of the talk about the offense needing to carry the team, the safety is just happy to do his part in a game where Brock Purdy gave the ball away on three different occasions.  

“It’s the game of football,” Brown said. “There are no bailouts. We see turnovers happen, we see interceptions happen. It’s all a part of the game. If it was a perfect game, I don’t think people would watch it as much. Having the offense’s back, like they had ours in previous weeks, playing complimentary football.”

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